twokbolt

I've been thinking about a track car for a couple years now. I've been looking off and on for a couple years now at different cars and have narrowed the field down to a 2004 Z06. It seems like now is the bottom of the market for the C5 Z06, being they are 10 years old and we are heading in to winter time. What have you noticed being that most of you are owners? Is now a good time to buy? Are prices going to drop any further? I've scouted a few potential purchases and I'm looking at around 22k for an 04 with anywhere from 50-70k miles. Is that a decent price?

z06Maniac

I can't believe how cheap these cars can be purchased! They are awesome cars. Bought my 03 brand new off the showroom floor. That's not a bad price, but I've seen slightly better deals (less mileage). Having said that, if the car has been taken care of and is in good shape how can you go wrong with that price?

Qicksilverc5z

I just picked my 02 c5z with 72k for $16k last week!

spdislife

Can't tell you anything about price, but I've been tracking my 04 Z for 5 years and you won't be disappointed with the performance!

WannaC5Z

It is all going to depend on the year, miles, and location of the car. I have noticed C5Zs in OK & TX seem to draw a premium but in AR, KS, & MO were going a little lower. Avoid dealerships as they demand a premium like on all other cars they sell over a private seller. I would say $18-22k for a 2001-2002 with below 60k miles is possible.

Ezmoney

Now is always the best time to buy, don't wait, you're just putting off all those months/years of enjoyment. Lets face it, this is a toy not an investment. Find the best deal you can and go enjoy your car. There will always be better deals out there. I'm pretty confident you can find an amazing car for under 25k. At that price there isn't much on the market to compare.

What I did notice is I could buy a lot more car for a few thousand more. Where I lived there was a huge difference between 22k dollar cars and 25k dollar cars. I opted for the huge difference, splurged and dropped 25k on my dream car.

Hows that for pushing you off the wagon?

JeremyGSU

I think the mileage is a little high for that price personally.

Brock63

19,000 miles, immaculate paint and interior, garage kept 2002 Z06 Torch Red with black interior....$27k little high but with low mileage and condition of car it was worth it to me....plus I got $1000 of parts/accessories of my choice.

bob guzzy

I just bought my winter driver c5z lots of miles but it seems like the car was treated well.

By the feel of the car I would say the engine is original and the trans was replaced or rebuilt at some point with a stiffer clutch added.

I recently saw a 04Z with 110K on it on ebay the seller wanted 16, the problem was the car was in Arizona, but for me that just added another 1K at least to the selling price.

ZF Six

The best time to buy was a few years ago when they bottomed out. They have crept up a little since then. But as previously stated, just buy one now if you want it. Don't wait, these are awesome cars for the money.

racebum

best deals are usually 50-120k mile cars

the 20-30k mile car usually have old well off owners that don't care if someone buys it

if you find a deal on a mint one get it, but, the very good to good condition cars are usually what you find in the 15-18k mark

an 04 will be the most expensive of any year by the way

Daddie O

This

awdxtc

There is an 02 red/ mod red with 15,179 miles, $23,988 for sale right now, looks to be in great shape.

MotoJB

Got my '03 with 28k miles and 460 RWHP of NA goodness three years ago for $22k. She's now worth damn near $50k (to me). :0

C5Z's continue to drop slowly but it seems they've been pretty stable for a while now.

I wouldn't pay more than $18k for a bone stock C5Z with 50-70k miles.

C5Dobie

I did exactly what you're talking about - bought a vette in the middle of winter - and in MA of all places. I looked around before I bought it and at deals that have occurred since - I think you have more of an edge in bargaining for a car you've narrowed down in the winter, but I still think how "good of a deal" you get still depends on that particular negotiation no matter what time of the season. For instance - you could also argue an owner who is selling a vette in the middle of the summer must NEED to sell it, right?

I purchased mine in January of this year and paid $24,500 off a $30699 list, for a "excellent condition" '03 Z06 12,900 miles off a corvette specialist dealer's showroom floor (they also could use space too I suppose). I think that is an "average" to slightly better than average price for the car, but there's a little upcharge for buying from a dealer and I get peace of mind for 6 months warranty. In addition, keep in mind as others have mentioned that you will pay up for the cars in the sub 30k mileage category - whether or not they're "worth" the premium is up to your individual opinion...but I think other than cars that just sit without being driven, an extremely lightly driven example will always have that over a higher mileage example and better condition typically goes in line w/ lower mileage (though not always).

I also agree the "BEST" deal you'll find would be C5 Z's in the 35-60k range for mileage - hear you will find the modestly driven, extremely well maintained. lightly modded, and still decent mileage examples, if you could get one for $20-23k in this range I think its a good deal depending on year/mileage/color etc.

I don't think C5Z prices have come off much at all though, if anything I think they've remained flat for some time and in low mileage cases even appreciating very slightly.

racebum

quite a few 01s in the 50s have sold for 18, a few 02s in the 70s have as well.

other than the evo8 there isn;t another sub 20k car i know of that rips this hard

Punisher550

i bought mine last week in AZ for a song and half a dance

WannaC5Z

I agree with this too. I began looking in 2011 and put it off when got married in 2012. Bought my 2001 in 2013 and prices had actually gone up slightly over that year and a half.
Yes I paid $19k for my 2001 with 40k miles in Feb 2013. Paint was a 9.5 and interior a 10.0. I'm the third owner and it came with all original invoices, window sticker, videos, catalogs, etc.

REVHARD

I paid 27k for my 03 with 20,007 miles...it was worth it to me for how clean the car was

TXGS507

Anytime is a good time to buy a C5Z....